Fires and deaths from e-bike batteries increase in NYC despite new regulations to stop them

Fires from e-bikes continue to increase in New York City, despite measures to eliminate cheap, low-quality batteries that have been blamed for the problem.

New York City firefighters, according to the news website Gothamist, responded to 267 fires caused by faulty lithium-ion batteries in 2023,  a 20% increase over 2022. The number of deaths from such fires tripled in 2023 over the previous year.

The New York City Council passed bills outlawing the sales of aftermarket batteries and establishing a trade-in program.

Democrat Mayor Eric Adams, the Gothamist reported, is planning to build safe charging hubs at strategic points throughout the city.

Battery packs that meet safety standards cost as much as $650, so many low-income residents of the city use cheap and refurbished batteries that are much more prone to sparking fires.

The increase in demand in recent years for home food delivery in the U.S. has resulted in many of the delivery people in NYC switching from bicycles to e-bikes, so the number of potentially fires also has increased.

New York (population 8.5 million) is also among the most densely populated cities in the world.